By Barney Lerten, KTVZ.COM
A pre-dawn fire apparently sparked by a neon sign's electrical wiring destroyed a business on the north end of downtown Bend early Saturday, officials said.
Fire crews called to 126 NW Wall St. around 4:35 a.m. found the front window of Permanent Makeup by Susan broken out by fire and the business well involved in flames, said Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki, who added that the fire did not extend to adjacent businesses.
Nearly 20 firefighters were called out and the street was shut while fire crews put out the blaze, made sure it didn’t spread and removed items from the business, owned by Susan Gruber (the property owners are Gordon and Betty Priday, officials said).
Derlacki said an investigation found the fire apparently originated from electrical wiring used to power neon signs in the store’s front windows.
The fire caused an estimated $100,000 loss to the building, which is insured, and $75,000 worth of contents.
In his news release on the blaze, the fire official reminded “everyone to follow the manufacturer’s suggestions for duration of continuous operation of any electrical appliance.”
“Many devices need some time to cool down,” Derlacki wrote. “This allows for a longer life of the appliance, as well as safer operations.”
A Yellow Pages listing for the business (www.permanentmakeupbysusan.com) says Gruber is the region's only certified permanent cosmetic professional, from eye liner and lip color to scar camouflage.
Susan Gruber said she had over 150 designer-inspired handbags inside, along with her permanent makeup supplies. She's owned the business for about 15 years.
Her husband, Gary, Gruber, said the neon sign was on every night for years. And he said the loss from the fire is hard for his wife.
"She was pretty devastated by the whole thing," he said Saturday. "She's put her heart and soul in this business for 15 years, and to have it burn down is kind of hard for her."
Still, Gruber said his wife plans to carry on, and to move the business a couple of doors down.
